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Theme of Zoom Meeting: Conversations
© 2020 by Richard E. Gordon Duplication prohibited without author’s permission.
Last updated: 8/4/20
You love conversing with some people. Others you would like to run away from. Our topic today: What makes a good conversationalist – the kind of person you always look forward to running toward – and talking to?
Questions
1. Consider someone you enjoy conversing with. What makes the conversation good for you?
2. What are the characteristics of a good conversationalist?
3. Is it an asset to be a good conversationalist –maybe even something you should work hard to excel in?
4. Can you learn to be a good conversationalist or is it a gift that you are just born with?
5. Should schools include lessons in how to be a good conversationalist?
6. Were your parents good conversationalist? If “Yes,” what made them so? Did their good conversations influence your attitude, your reactions to participating in conversations?
7. Without naming names or giving away identities, what are the characteristics of someone you hate to get into a conversation with? What are the characteristics that turn you off?
8. Can you think of how you might influence this irritating talker to become more pleasant to converse with?
9. Trying not to identify a specific group, have you been in groups that you dropped out of because the characteristics of the conversation repelled you? If you had been the leader of such a group, what changes might you have made?
10. Are there topics that you always try to avoid in conversations when you are with casual acquaintances? How about with good friends?
11. Can a well educated person have good conversations with those who lack a formal education?
12. Can you think of what positive changes you might make in your own participation in conversation?
13. If you were the moderator of a group discussion, what remarks might you like to overhear as the participants were leaving the meeting?
14. When you are having a conversation with a new acquaintance, how might you encourage her to open up to you? On the other hand, how might you make her uncomfortable?
15. Do groups of women have very different conversations than a typical group of men? How might these conversations be different?
16. Considering our discussion, were you left with a new idea that might help you become a better conversationalist? Is trying to improve your conversation skills worth the effort?
Quotes to consider
1. “The best listeners
listen between the lines.”
― Swoon
2. “She listened to him all night and he found her fascinating.”
― Degrees: Thought Capsule
3. “You prove to people that
you don’t pay attention to their words when they see that you don’t remember
what they tell you earlier.”
― Shaping the dream
“It's hard to listen when
you're thinkin bout your own thoughts”
―
5. “The word LISTEN contains the same letters as the word SILENT.” –Alfred Brendel
6. “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” –Ernest Hemingway
7. “The first duty of love is to listen.” –Paul Tillich
8. “Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.” – Doug Larson
9. “Whoever answers before listening is both foolish and shameful.” -Proverbs 18:13
10. “The art of conversation lies in listening.” -Malcom Forbes
“Big egos have little ears.” -Robert Schuller
12. “Listen to others very carefully. Shut your inner noise and focus on verbal and non verbal
cues.”
―
13. “Be a good listener. Your ears will never get you in trouble.” –Frank Tyger
14. “A bad listener anxiously awaits the first chance to interrupt you to get his point across even if he stabs you with it.” REG
15. “I’m always sure to have a good listener when I talk to myself.” REG
You might like to try to make up your own original quotes and email them to others in our group. If you would like to read more on how talking too much can torpedo conversations, take a look at this link.